RUGBY TRANSFORMATION: REVOLUTION OR RECONCILIATION?

Every now and again the issue of transformation in rugby crops up. It seems to me that it follows a predictable pattern. Someone (usually in government) notices the apparent lack of transformation in rugby and enquiries are made. This is usually followed by defensive rugby bosses scurrying to prove they have a number of development projects in place and that there are up and coming players of colour in all the provincial squads and a few in the national squad. This seems to quell the furore temporarily, until the next time. The reality however, is that rugby continues to be a predominantly white sport: that is certainly the impression I get when I flip through the channels broadcasting South African matches on any given sporting weekend.

I support the rugby development efforts being made in communities where rugby is an unknown sport. I am sure there are many dedicated people trying their best to make a difference. Their efforts must be supported and strengthened. Rugby development needs to be expanded further and marketed at grassroots level in schools and communities. Provincial squads and the national squad must be intentional in their selection of players of colour. If they are unwilling or resistant to that selection, I support government intervention as a last resort to make it happen. Taking such a drastic measure is undesirable as it creates resistance and forces people into entrenched positions from which it becomes well nigh impossible to reconcile opposing points of view. That drastic step I think can be prevented if we begin to address the deeper issues surrounding rugby as a sport in our country.

Before we begin to consider those deeper issues, please allow me to digress for a moment to share some of my own history with rugby. I have never really been a big rugby fan. At school I played soccer and cricket. Rugby to me seemed to glorify violence and brute force, and I used that as my rationale for not being a big fan. I used to watch the occasional game on television and I kept abreast of the various competitions. It was around 1986 or 1987 I made a deliberate decision to stop watching rugby. I made the decision after reading a book by Frederik van Zyl Slabbert (I think it was The Last White Parliament). In the book he tells of his bold and unpopular decision to stop playing rugby.

The essence of Van Zyl Slabbert's argument was that rugby had become a symbol of Afrikaner nationalism. He was referring to the worst manifestation of Afrikaner nationalism in the form of apartheid. Rugby had become the sport that united the volk, that proved the physical and sporting superiority of the white Afrikaner. Rugby was a part and parcel of Afrikaner identity. Rugby was followed with devotion and fervour, akin to a national religion. Even in the deepest years of apartheid rugby was played at international level. Foreign teams were welcomed to South Africa and their presence celebrated as a triumph over politics and sanctions, in much the same way that Hitler got away with hosting the 1936 Olympic Games. International teams were sensitive to the apartheid regime in that they discreetly refrained from sending players of colour to play against our whites only teams. White English speakers were welcome to play rugby, but it was always on the terms of the Afrikaner Broederbond appointed rugby bosses.

What Van Zyl Slabbert said struck a chord with me and I decided that I could not watch a sport that was to all intents and purposes a bastion of apartheid. Admittedly it was an easy decision. It would have been a lot more difficult were I a huge fan or an active participant. The decision to stop watching rugby has been difficult to reverse. I still struggle to watch because to me it seems rugby still has those undertones of white nationalism.

Rugby had a watershed moment in 1995 when the World Cup was hosted in South Africa. As a nation we were riding the crest of the wave: full scale civil war had been narrowly averted, we had a President who preached reconciliation and South Africa was revered as the role model of a relatively peaceful transition to democracy. President Mandela understood the importance of rugby to the white community and saw the World Cup Final game as a powerful opportunity for national reconciliation, to reach out to the white community. The images of a genuinely proud and elated President Mandela in his Springbok rugby jersey embracing Francois Pienaar, holding the trophy aloft, is an image etched in the memories of all who watched that game (and yes, I did watch the game!). In that moment our President united the nation. It was a defining moment for rugby and it presented a genuine opportunity for the game to become inclusive, to promote healing and reconciliation in our nation. That opportunity was lost and lost badly.

The fundamental problem as I see it, is that transformation has been interpreted on both the side of the government and on the side of the rugby bosses, as getting the racial balance right. There is the constant cry from government that there needs to be more black players, that the game must become more representative. There are a lot more black players and coaches than there were ten years ago, but the sport remains predominantly white. Recently there have been threats to force representivity, which has been met with fierce resistance. To many in government, the only way to remedy the situation is through a rugby revolution. I would suggest that this would not be the appropriate way forward for now, that there may be a way to use rugby transformation as an act of nation building and reconciliation. I do not think it is too late to capitalise on the foundation laid by Mr Mandela in 1995.

It seems to me that since 1994, rugby has morphed itself into a sport that now represents a form of nationalism that encompasses mother tongue English and Afrikaans whites and so called coloureds. Black players are in the minority and are welcome to play, as long as they stay in the minority. Somehow we need to move beyond the situation where people feel threatened by black players to the point where black players are embraced and welcomed for the good of the sport and of the nation.

 

The first step is an acknowledgement on all sides of the role rugby played in Afrikaner and white nationalism. It seems to me in the white community there is a blanket amnesia about apartheid. There is a constant refrain in the white community that, “we need to move on,” that apartheid is something of the forgotten past. Any reminder of our apartheid past is met with anger, resentment and denial. This apartheid amnesia seems to have blocked out the horrors of our apartheid past and how the black majority suffered enormously at the hands of the white minority. Very few white people followed the proceedings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Very few white people have made the effort to face the pain of our past. Very few white people have made the effort to familiarise themselves with the history of the struggle against apartheid. Only a minority of those who served in the security forces that enforced apartheid in brutal and cruel ways have spoken out. Most remain silent. I believe this amnesia and denial is a coping mechanism to escape having to face the pain and the guilt of the past.

 

I believe one of the keys to break the amnesia and silence, to talk about the past, allowing stories to be told, is rugby. Let's allow the white community to talk about rugby, about rugby history, about rugby heroes, about sanction busting international rugby. I am optimistic and perhaps even naïve enough to believe that our black community will listen and celebrate those stories. Once we're talking, let's hear the black voices (especially those in the Eastern Cape) who love the game. Let's hear the sad stories of those talented black players, who could never realise their full rugby potential due to apartheid. Then we need to be big enough and courageous enough to own up to how rugby was used to undergird apartheid, how it alienated and separated black and white communities from one another, and how it continues to infect and pervert the game. Only then can we apologise and ask for forgiveness. This rugby mini TRC is the first step. It cannot be skipped or glossed over, no matter how uncomfortable or painful.

The second step is to reach out to one another, to find meaningful ways where rugby can become an agent of reconciliation, a fresh symbol of a united South Africa, building on that moment with President Mandela at the Rugby World Cup in 1995. This is where most of the work will have to be done. We will have to talk to one another to see what will work best. Good white intentions will have to be tempered so that they do not come across as patronising. Black suspicions will need to be addressed and allayed with some very good and honest marketing. I suspect that the most innovative ideas will come from our youth, especially those of the so called “born free” generation who carry the least amount of baggage from our past. Schools will have to play a leading role. Already in the old Model C schools that offer rugby as a sport, there are many very talented black players who are making an impact on schools rugby. One approach might be to twin such a school with a township school that does not offer rugby to provide opportunities for those interested to play the game. Rugby talent at schools level must be nurtured in such a way that it feeds into the higher levels of the game. Talented players could be incentivised with scholarships to move onto college and university rugby. Similarly, rugby clubs must be reaching across the divides, finding innovative ways to market the sport in communities where rugby has never been played.

The biggest challenge is going to be at the provincial, franchise and national levels where one has to deal with professional players and professional administrators. Once a person is paid to do a job, he or she has a vested interest in that job, which is natural and to be expected. If rugby transformation is perceived as a threat to their livelihoods, stern resistance is to be expected. A way forward here would be to seek a “buy in” commitment from both players and administrators in such a way that their livelihoods are not threatened. They must be convinced that we are not only talking about rugby transformation, but also nation building and national reconciliation. Players' unions will need to be consulted and brought on board. There will of course be those who will not buy in, who will reject all efforts at meaningful transformation. They unfortunately will have to be asked to leave to make space for those who are true patriots (no matter the colour of their skin), who have both rugby and nation building close to their hearts.

 

President Mandela in 1995 united the nation around the game of rugby. Let's recapture that moment and use it as an opportunity for reconciliation. Let's transform the game in such a way that the wounds of the past are healed and people reach across the racial divides to turn rugby into a powerful symbol of a truly united, non-racial South Africa. I'm looking forward to watching rugby again!